Saturday, June 29, 2019

Around the Tubes: June 28, 2019


I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Mystic Briton, The Carol Burnett Show, Orangutan Jungle School, James Bay, BENEE, Meg Myers, One Day at a Time, Rita, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, and The L Word: Generation Q.

- Smithsonian Channel is set to reveal the secrets of Britain’s most mysterious sites via a road trip mixing mysticism with very British humor. In this 10-part series, television and radio presenter Clive Anderson (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota explore the island’s ancient places and rituals. With Mary-Ann more than a match for Clive’s signature wit and irreverence, the pair travel the length of Britain to investigate the strange and sacred beliefs of its past, joining scientists, archaeologists and historians to look at the latest discoveries unearthing what ancient Britons did in the name of their beliefs and why. Mystic Briton premieres Monday, August 5 at 9 PM ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- On September 11, 1967, Carol Burnett and her madcap cast took to the airwaves on CBS for a new variety series that combined sketch comedy, singing and dancing. Little did they know that The Carol Burnett Show would become an Emmy Award-winning program and survive the changing tastes of TV audiences to last eleven seasons. Available at retail for the first time, The Best of the Carol Burnett Show: 50TH Anniversary Edition brings together the best of the best -- 60 hand-picked episodes covering every season -- into one singular and uproarious set. Available on August 6, 2019, this ultimate Burnett-lovers collection is priced at $249.98srp, and contains 21 discs and incredible, exclusive bonus features specially-created by the Time Life TV DVD archivists including exclusive interviews, a cast reunion and backstage tour of Studio 33, never-before-seen outtakes and featurettes.

- Class is now in session as Smithsonian Channel prepares to share the drama, as well as the hijinks, of a group of young endangered orangutans in an emotional new docuseries, Orangutan Jungle School. The 10-episode season takes viewers to Nyaru Menteng, a unique forest school for orphaned apes in Indonesia, run by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. At this singular school, young orangutans who have lost their mothers to poaching and deforestation learn the skills they’ll need to survive in the wild as they progress through a series of classes and grade levels – but these lessons take place in the jungle instead of a classroom. Full of rich and distinct characters, hilarious antics, tear-jerking moments and even heart-pounding cliffhangers, the series offers a look at the incredible work being done by human caregivers to provide these intelligent and endangered creatures a chance at life in the wild. All episodes of ORANGUTAN JUNGLE SCHOOL will be available to stream Friday, August 2 on Smithsonian Channel Plus, with the first two episodes free for those without a subscription.

- James Bay released the official video for his single “Bad.” The video sees BAY emotionally floating through New York as he performs his hit single. The video features some never before performed stunts through some of New York’s iconic streets and even an iconic shot in Times Square.


- The five-song collection threads together a tale of personal emotions and evocative stories over an unpredictable sonic backdrop. She introduces the project with the undeniable opener “Bitter.” Off-kilter production punctuated by handclaps, glitchy electronics, and strains of guitar gives way to a hypnotic hook as she encourages, “Try not to get bitter.” Watch the video for “Bitter” HERE

- Hailing from the suburbs of Auckland, 19-year-old indie pop artist BENEE has made her mark on the world with her debut FIRE ON MARZZ EP out today—listen HERE! On FIRE ON MARZZ, BENEE noted, “When it came to coming up with a name for my EP, what first came to mind was wanting a phrase that was a big old explosion, because that’s kinda what the EP feels like to me. I came up with the name FIRE ON MARZZ and thought it did the best job at not really relating to any song in the EP. I didn’t think there was a phrase that could sum them all up.”

- Meg Myers shares her stunning video of her empowering cover of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill.' The video features hand colored compositions from 2,130 children from around the country, including many at the 'Heart of Los Angeles' (HOLA) school - a non profit that gives underserved kids an equal chance to succeed through a comprehensive array of after-school academic, arts, athletics and wellness programs. As part of her partnership with HOLA, Meg and the producer of the video, Jo Roy taught animation classes to elementary school students. The frames they made during the classes were then composited together, and used in the video. The result is an ethereal, and highly captivating animated journey. With every frame being radically unique, the only constant is the certainty of change.

- Pop TV, now fully owned by CBS Corporation, announced that the critically-acclaimed series One Day at a Time will continue with a new 13-episode fourth season premiering in 2020. The Network shared the news amid fan campaigns rallying behind the series. Produced by Sony Pictures Television, the fourth season of One Day at a Time will air exclusively on Pop.

- Showtime has announced a pilot production order for the hour-long dramedy Rita, starring Emmy and Golden Globe® nominee Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). Headey will executive produce the pilot, a co-production of Showtime and Platform One Media, with creator/showrunner Christian Torpe, who is writing the pilot based on his award-winning original Danish series.

- Showtime has announced that Michael Gladis (Mad Men) has joined Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, the next chapter of the Penny Dreadful saga, as a series regular. Lorenza Izzo (Aftershock) will recur in a pivotal role in the upcoming SHOWTIME series, along with Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami), Thomas Kretschmann (Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Dominic Sherwood (Shadowhunters), and Ethan Peck (Star Trek: Discovery) will guest in multiple episodes. The series stars Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Adriana Barraza, Rory Kinnear, Jessica Garza, Johnathan Nieves and Tony® and Emmy winner Nathan Lane. Oscar® and Emmy® nominee and Golden Globe® winner Amy Madigan, Brent Spiner and Lin Shaye will also be recurring guest stars. Tony and Golden Globe winner and three-time Oscar nominee John Logan, the creator, writer and executive producer of the Emmy nominated series Penny Dreadful, continues in those same roles. Michael Aguilar (KIDDING) also serves as executive producer. Production on the drama series is expected to begin later this year.

- Showtime has announced four new series regulars joining the cast of The L Word: Generation Q, premiering this fall on Showtime. Arienne Mandi (Baja), Leo Sheng (Adam), Jacqueline Toboni (Easy) and Rosanny Zayas (Orange is the New Black) are set to star as the new generation of LGBTQIA characters who will join original series stars and executive producers Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. Executive produced by showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar, 6 Balloons), original series creator Ilene Chaiken, Kristen Campo and Steph Green (pilot), the series is set to begin production on eight episodes in Los Angeles this summer.


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